by Jake Bible
Those that didn’t get their fill turned away to pursue more victims. Those that did get their fill lurched and jerked as their bodies absorbed the BC that had been in pools of liquid. Their skin took on a metallic sheen, while their claws and teeth lengthened further, hardening until the edges became finely honed blades. None of them noticed their transformation, their animal brains focused only on killing and devouring, but they all took advantage of their increased skills, attacking with greater ferocity and cutting down all in their path.
***
“Help me get this on,” Desmond cried as Billy, Melissa and Beth finished fitting their suits. “We’re not all Ghosts!”
Melissa reached over and touched Desmond’s suit, the BC shrinking to fit, and activated his faceplate, sealing the man inside what they all hoped would be protection from the Aghori. Desmond winced as the suit connected to him.
“I’ve only done this for Ghosts, so I don’t know how well the suit will work for you,” Melissa warned. “I did try to tweak it so you can control it from your jack points just like a Shock suit.”
“I haven’t used a Shock suit since basic,” Desmond said. “I hope I don’t blow myself up.”
“If you do, try to take some of them with you,” Billy joked. No one laughed. “Geez, lighten up people. So what’s the plan?”
The sound of collapsing metal came from the front and they watched as pieces of the HAVs hull fell onto the driver’s seat.
“The plan is to get out of here,” Melissa said. “We need to get to another HAV and get moving.”
“Do we know how many people we have left?” Beth asked.
“The com is out,” Desmond said. “I’ve been trying, but I can’t raise anyone.”
“Does that mean they’re all dead?” Billy asked. “All of them?”
“It means the com is out,” Desmond scolded. “Don’t make more of what I say. It’s annoying.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Melissa laughed, but stopped short when more of the HAV began to dislodge. “Desmond, your suit has small guns built into the arms. Fire them just like a Shock suit. Everyone else can form them as needed. Let’s move out!”
Melissa kicked the ramp controls and the back began to descend. Aghori were waiting and several clambered at the ramp as it fell, climbing over the metal and into the HAV.
“Fuck!” Melissa screamed, opening fire on the creatures. The other three joined, the impact of their bullets knocking the creatures back outside. Melissa leapt at the controls and struggled to get the ramp back in place. Beth concentrated, overriding the mechanics and morphed the ramp closed, sealing it completely.
“Thanks,” Melissa said. “You okay?”
Beth nodded, but the exertion showed on her face. “I’ll be fine.”
“Now what?” Desmond asked.
Acid dripped from above onto Desmond’s face plate and they all froze, waiting to see if it would eat through Melissa’s design. The face plate sizzled, but soon the acid stopped and the suit’s integrity was kept intact.
“Great job!” Billy said. “Wish we could do that with the HAV!”
Beth sighed. “We can.”
“No, we can’t,” Melissa snapped. “You don’t have the energy to do this whole HAV.”
“I do,” Billy said. “I’m the vehicle expert.” He stepped to the wall and put his hand against it. “Just change a little and I’ll duplicate the process throughout!”
“Then what?” Desmond asked. “We’ll just be stuck here!”
“They go away at sunrise, right?” Billy asked. “We can wait that long.”
“We assume they do,” Desmond insisted. “What if they don’t?”
“Then we deal with them then!” Melissa shouted. “Shut the fuck up and get out of the way!” She shoved Desmond to the side and placed her hand on the HAV’s hull, her other hand firmly in Beth’s, transforming a meter square into the acid resistant material. “There! Do it now, Billy!”
Billy concentrated on the HAV’s design, focusing on every small detail of the hull, making sure he didn’t miss anything. The group could hear the Aghori’s claws tearing into the metal, then screeches of rage and anguish as they were cut off by Billy’s work. Behind them a fist punched through the main hatch, but was severed and fell to the floor as Billy completed the transformation. The grotesque claw opened and closed for several seconds before falling still in its own smoldering juices.
“Damn! That fucking stinks!” Melissa cried. “I can smell it through the suit!”
The group listened to the Aghori’s relentless attack. The sounds of rage grew and grew, the HAV shaking violently as the creatures pounded and assailed the vehicle. Parts of the hull buckled inward from the force of the attack, but the structure held.
“How long until sunrise?” Billy asked.
“Two hours,” Desmond responded.
“Okay, okay,” Billy muttered. “We can wait two hours.”
“Yes, Billy, we can wait two hours,” Melissa mocked. “Do you need a blankie?”
“Fuck off, Mel,” Billy grumbled.
***
The Spiders stopped at the crest of the hill, their sensors checking the area below. The scans puzzled them. They could tell from the collateral damage that people had been butchered, but there were no signs of corpses, only destroyed HAVs and dozens of unknown life forms that didn’t register in their databases. The Spiders instantly formed a plan of attack between them and moved off the hill, spreading out so they could ensnare as many creatures as possible.
***
Billy cocked his head to the side. “Do you hear that?”
“The sound of your cowardice? Yes, it’s deafening,” Melissa laughed.
“Funny, Mel. No, seriously, I hear something out there.”
“How can you hear anything through the hull and over the sound of those things?” Beth asked. “I can barely hear myself think.”
“Survival instinct, “Billy answered. “You live on the fringes like I have and you pay attention to every sound coming at you. It could mean death.”
“Yeah, it’s gonna be hard to narrow the death sounds down out here,” Desmond said. “You sure you’re hearing something?”
“No, I’m not sure! That’s why I fucking asked you guys!” The noises from the Aghori stopped. “Um, did I do that?”
“I doubt it,” Melissa said. “Any chance we can get the holo up and running so we can see what’s going on out there?”
“Mag drive is shot,” Desmond answered. “We have no power.”
“I’ll make a hole,” Beth said, getting to her feet and turning a small part of the hull opaque. “I don’t know if it will hold against their devil juice.”
“Devil juice,” Melissa giggled. “I like that.”
The four squeezed together and nearly lost all hope at the sight they saw.
“That’s not good,” Billy said, turning from the impromptu porthole and leaning against the hull. “Out of the fire…”
***
The Aghori were confused. They could see the metal creatures and their mutated brains told them that they weren’t food, but there was a scent that drifted on the wind telling them different. The hunger for flesh kept them focused on the Spiders, even though they could not see the flesh.
The several dozen Aghori moved away from the HAVs, their many limbs scrambling over the hard, red earth. Corrosive saliva dripped from their grotesque mouths in massive, drooling globs, singeing the ground and leaving a smoking trail behind them as they slowly closed the distance between themselves and the Spiders.
***
“Okay, we can’t stay here,” Billy announced. “We have to take advantage of the distraction because once the Spiders win they’ll be on us.”
“Very astute, William,” Melissa sneered. “And how do you propose we escape? Walk out of here?”
Billy looked sheepishly at Beth. “I can fix this thing. But the problem is the devil juice corrupts the BC and I have to separate tha
t out, which doesn’t leave enough to work with. I need more BC.”
“No way!” Melissa yelled. “She’s not strong enough!”
“I can do it,” Beth said quietly, obviously weakened from the exertion it took to make the porthole.
“No fucking way!” Melissa shouted. Desmond put a restraining hand on her shoulder and she shoved it away. “Fuck off!”
“It’s okay, Mel,” Beth assured. “If I can get us enough BC then we can get the hell out of here. I’ll rest while we run. When we’re on board the ships I can sleep as long as I need to.”
Melissa looked as if she would explode with rage. She turned from Billy to Desmond to Beth and back several times before finally throwing her hands up in disgust. “Fucking fine! Kill yourself!” she yelled at Beth. “Make all the lives that died to get you here mean nothing!”
“She’ll be fine, Mel,” Billy said. “I’ll pre-program the BC we have now so all it will need is the extra mass. I’ll make sure Beth only has to move the minimum.”
Melissa glared at them all.
***
The Spiders opened fire when the Aghori were only a few meters away. They did not expect the lack of results from the attack.
As one, they shifted tactics, turning flames on the creatures that were now rushing full speed towards them, scorching the green-black skin of the Aghori. The creatures screamed and writhed, but were only slowed down slightly, their undead bodies regenerating the crisped skin once they pushed past the flames.
The roars of the Aghori swelled and in a convergence of high-tech metal and putrid, reanimated flesh, the two groups slammed into each other.
***
“Just go slowly,” Billy soothed. “Can you feel the other HAVs?”
“Yes,” Beth answered, her eyes closed and brow furrowed. “But, there is so much damage it’s hard to separate the corrupted parts from the rest.”
Melissa began to protest, but Billy held up his hand.
“That’s fine. Just concentrate on melting the good parts,” Billy continued. “Liquefy the metal and bring it to us. Take your time.”
Desmond watched the battle rage outside the HAV. “Don’t take too long. I don’t know who is going to win, but this isn’t going to last forever.”
***
Three Aghori converged on a single Spider, dodged its slashing legs and leapt onto the machine’s back. Their claws and drool burned through the BC and they ripped into the heart of the creature, tearing a struggling pink form that was once a man from the safety of its shell. The cybernetically transformed human put up a feeble fight, but it was over in seconds as the Aghori dissolved its flesh and drank the liquid.
Several Spiders changed tactics, banding together into a tight knit circle, not letting the Aghori get the upper hand. They held the undead mutants at bay with a coordinated defense of fire and brute force, not trying to kill the creatures outright, instead flinging them as far away as possible.
But the Aghori were relentless. For every one that was tossed aside three more took their place, especially once they realized the scent was coming from inside the hard BC exoskeletons. Spider after Spider fell, their soft, fragile bodies ripped from the protection they had each known for so long, and devoured. Despite the drug induced, tortuous existence they led, all of them fought for their lives. There were brief struggles, but proved enough of a distraction to let the surviving Spiders adapt to the Aghoris’ physical defenses.
Mutated heads began to burst as the Spiders adjusted the composition of their ammunition, creating incendiary rounds that could destroy the monsters’ brains before the corrosive effects of their bodily fluids melted the slugs. Without their brains, the Aghori could no longer regenerate and were nothing more than bags of dead, rotted meat.
***
“The Spiders have adapted!” Desmond shouted. “This is going to be over soon!”
Perspiration beaded on Beth’s forehead and trickled down into her closed eyes. Melissa reached out and wiped the sweat away.
“How close are you?” Melissa asked.
“Close…,” Beth whispered. “It’s almost…here…” A shiver ran through Beth’s body and she struggled with consciousness. Her eyes flew open and Melissa could see the pain and pleading in them. “I’m…sorry…Mel…” Beth’s eyes fixed on Mel’s and glassed over.
“Beth?” Melissa shouted. “Beth? Freak? Wake up!” Melissa shook Beth’s still body then put her head against her chest. “She isn’t breathing!”
Desmond moved from the porthole and shoved Melissa out of the way. “I did a tour as a medic! Move!” Desmond began pumping Beth’s chest, counting out the compressions then listening to her chest for a heartbeat. “Come on!”
The sound of the rear ramp unsealing and descending got Melissa’s attention and she jumped to her feet. “What the fuck are you doing?”
Billy turned and his eyes were sad, but strong. “I can see the BC, Mel. You get Beth back and stay put. I’ll move it over and make sure this thing works again. I won’t be long.”
“You’re leaving me?” Melissa screamed.
“I won’t be long, Mel. I promise.”
They both knew that was a lie and Melissa struggled against the weakening in her knees. “I love you, Billy.”
“You too, kiddo,” he replied as the ramp raised into place. “Thank you…”
***
The sounds and smells of the battle made Billy gag. He wished he could cover his nose and mouth, but the faceplate prevented that. He focused on the stream of BC only a couple meters from the HAV, ignoring the screeches and cries. The smell of burning flesh and corroding metal wafted over him and he struggled to ignore that also, but his gorge rose in his throat and he prayed he wouldn’t puke all over the inside of his suit.
He reached for the BC and made contact, bringing the pool to life and sending it twisting in a shiny flow towards the HAV. Every second felt like an eternity and he kept his head down, watching only the BC.
Most of the metal had joined with the HAV before they found him. Billy could smell the fetid creatures coming at him and he whirled around just as one lashed out, swiping him across the chest. While the suit held against the talons, the force knocked him away from the BC and the metal froze in place, no longer flowing to the HAV.
***
Desmond leapt away from Beth’s body and rushed to a cargo crate, grabbing out a small mag generator.
“What are you doing?” Melissa yelled.
“Cut her suit open,” Desmond demanded. Melissa glared. “Just do it!”
Melissa growled and sliced Beth’s suit open, spreading the material wide as Desmond knelt down and placed two leads directly on her exposed chest. “Throw some BC on those to keep them in place and stand back!”
Melissa did as she was told and Desmond activated the generator, shutting it down almost as soon as he turned it on. Beth’s back arched, raising her off the floor then slammed back down. Desmond checked for a pulse and frowned. He activated the generator again and once more Beth’s body arched and fell. Still no pulse.
“Fuck!” Desmond cursed. “What am I missing?”
“Her body is different!” Melissa exclaimed. “She’s not like us!” She shoved Desmond to the side and placed a finger on each spot of BC. She closed her eyes and concentrated. “Mr. Lang’s biology class better not fail me now…”
Blood welled on Beth’s chest at the contact points and Melissa stepped back. “Try it now!”
“What did you do?” Desmond asked before flipping the switch.
“Shut the fuck up and shock her!” Melissa yelled.
Beth’s body arched and convulsed and the HAV filled with the smell of singed skin. Beth’s eyes shot open and she gasped for breath. Her hands found the BC contacts and she clawed at them. They shot from her body and Melissa and Desmond had to duck to keep from being hit by the wires.
Melissa rushed to Beth’s side and cradled her head, closing the open suit and covering her smoking chest. “Sh
hhhh,” she soothed. “Shhhh. Just relax. You’re back now.”
“It was black, Mel,” Beth sobbed. “There was nothing there. I just floated in the blackness and was almost gone.”
“I knew there wasn’t a Heaven,” Desmond muttered, but shut up quickly when Melissa shot him a look of death. “Sorry.”
“It’s going to be alright,” Melissa insisted, stroking Beth’s hair. “We’re gonna get you out of here.”
Beth tried to smile, but slipped into unconsciousness, her mouth turning into a frown instead.
***
Billy struggled against the Aghori that pounced on him, his arm reaching for the BC only centimeters away.
The Aghori became enraged that they couldn’t pierce Billy’s suit and slammed their fists and claws into him again and again.
Billy felt ribs crack and knew from the excruciating pain that more than one vital organ had burst. He tried his hardest to ignore the pain and focus on the BC. One of the creatures kicked him in the side of the head and his body shifted just enough so he could touch the BC. The metal began flowing again and Billy willed it away as fast as possible.
The creatures ignored the shiny stream that connected to the HAV; their attention focused only on Billy. They snatched him up and battered his body back and forth between them. Billy felt something snap and his legs went numb. He started to cough up blood and his faceplate was soon covered in a fine spray of red-black. The force of their attack was so fierce and constant that his body could no longer regenerate.
He tried to change his suit, to make some blades or weapons to fight the Aghori off, but he was too weak. Another snap and he went numb from the chest down.
“Fuck you…,” he whispered before his neck snapped and the life faded from his eyes, leaving nothing but burst capillaries and dilated pupils staring out at the monsters.
***
The HAV shuddered and Melissa held onto Beth as the metal about her began to change and morph.
“You should probably get in the driver’s seat!” she shouted at Desmond.
The man stalled for a moment then shook his head. “Right, right, we aren’t dead. Right.”